Rich moisture ahead of a sharp dryline and vigorous upper trough helped fuel isolated supercell thunderstorms this afternoon, particularly in the southeast Texas Panhandle and the southern Rolling Plains. Although these areas were spared from the most volatile hail and tornado threat realized farther north in the Texas Panhandle, a few severe hail and wind events still unfolded east of the…
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS LUB wrote it up.
Rich moisture ahead of a sharp dryline and vigorous upper trough helped fuel isolated supercell thunderstorms this afternoon, particularly in the southeast Texas Panhandle and the southern Rolling Plains. Although these areas were spared from the most volatile hail and tornado threat realized farther north in the Texas Panhandle, a few severe hail and wind events still unfolded east of the Caprock. By sunset, a Pacific cold front collided with the dryline southeast of Lubbock and resulted in a squall line. This squall line resulted in wind damage and wind driven hail damage in southern Kent County.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Lubbock, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 16, 2:45 PM CST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 345 PM CDT Tue May 16 2017 Discussion... As of 3:30 PM, thunderstorms have begun to develop over Floyd county along a sharp dryline that has set up north to south along the escarpment between the South Plains and Rolling Plains. Storm coverage and intensity will increase through the evening hours across the northern half of the Rolling Plains. There is a tornado watch across the area of concern through 10pm tonight. Along with the tornado threat, locations within the watch can expect giant hail in excess of 3 inches in diameter and strong wind gusts exceeding 70mph. Later on this evening as the dryline begins to retreat west, it will converge and combine with an advancing cold front as the powerful and compact upper level low ejects out of eastern New Mexico across the Texas Panhandle overnight and into the Central Plains by Wednesday morning. The second wave of convection will be more widespread and persist through the overnight hours and should be east of our CWA by sunrise. The primary threat with the squall line later tonight will be severe wind gusts and large hail. Wednesday will provide a break between this evenings upper level low and another that arrives on our doorstep late Thursday. The southern Rolling Plains could see some thunderstorms Thursday afternoon as along the western extent of the Gulf moisture return receives some lift from an enhanced southern jet, while the rest of our CWA should remain dry. A Pacific cold front will push south and east across our CWA Friday morning with scattered non-severe thunderstorms and showers. This mornings guidance has pushed POPs on Friday farther east than previous forecasts as moisture return continues its anemic trend. We'll dry out for the weekend as the upper level trough begins to flatten and lift north on Saturday. Temps behind the Pacific Cold front on Friday, and especially Saturday, will be below normal before rebounding on Sunday to near 80 and to seasonal norms by Monday. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 9 PM CDT this evening for TXZ021-022-027-028- 033-034. && 55
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1113 AM CDT Tue May 16 2017 TXZ021>044-171615- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale- Floyd-Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 1113 AM CDT Tue May 16 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains...Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A sharp dryline moving east across the Caprock this morning will stall in the western Rolling Plains by early afternoon, coinciding with the arrival of a mid-level impulse. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will develop as early as mid-afternoon, particularly in the far southeast Panhandle and northern Rolling Plains. The environment will favor discrete supercells, the strongest of which could produce giant hail exceeding three inches in diameter, a few tornadoes, and destructive downburst winds. By late evening, a severe squall line is likely to develop in the southern Rolling Plains and spread eastward through the night. Farther west, a wind advisory is in effect from 3 PM until 9 PM for much of the western South Plains as sustained southwest winds increase to 25 to 35 mph later today. High based thunderstorms west of the dryline this evening could also produce dry microbursts with wind gusts to 65 mph. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday There is potential for additional severe thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday pending the evolution of a dryline and cold front tonight. This threat appears to favor areas east of the Caprock Escarpment. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this afternoon and evening, mainly off the Caprock.
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:49 UTC.
5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Penny to nickel size hail occurred from a supercell storm. Damage, if any, was not known.
Law enforcment in Kirkland reported hail up to quarter size covering some roads to several inches deep. No information about possible damage was available.
A downburst carried the roof from an unoccupied mobile home.
No damage accompanied the hail.
No damage information was available.
The public measured hail as large as 0.90 inches in diameter. Damage, if any, was not available.
South Plains Electric Cooperative reported that ten power poles were blown over along State Highway 70 just south of US Highway 380 southwest of Jayton. Furthermore, a sheriff's deputy with Kent County reported that windows in a barn were destroyed; most likely by wind driven hail.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2017
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 686960, 686961, 686966, 686962, 686964, 686965, 687390.